We're both on Medicare.
In 2020 we'll be paying Medicare Part B premiums of 2 * $144.60 = $289.20/month ($3,470/year) [not counting IRMAA tax that we also have to pay this year].
And we'll be paying Medicare Advantage Supplement premiums (which include the cost of Part D coverage, again not counting IRMAA tax) of $103.01 (partially subsidized by a former employer) + $174.31 (for the spouse) = 277.32/month ($3,328/year).
Plus $1,200 for dental insurance for two.
Those add up to $8,000/year for two, plus IRMAA tax. Our out-of-pocket for medical care is essentially zero (until we add concierge benefits described below). Out-of-pocket for prescription drugs will cost about $1,500/year for two. Dental out-of-pocket will be around $2,500 based on past experience. So our total healthcare budget for 2020 is $12,000 plus IRMAA taxes plus the concierge.
The medical climate in our state has changed radically in the last few years. Five hospitals in our area are affiliated into a single operation, now the third-largest employer in the state, and the same operator has rolled up 1,000 or so individual physicians into its multi specialty group clinic. Our primary physician was one of those rolled up, and he lasted a year before retiring. Our next primary physician, a different practice but again one of the 1,000, just announced that he's retiring too. After some looking, we found a third physician who is not currently among the 1,000 and who is open to new patients.
The new physician offers an optional concierge service, and we interviewed the doctor about one of us signing on to it. Basically, if you're not in the concierge program, you're likely to wait longer for an appointment and more often than not you'll be seeing a physician's assistant. With the concierge program you can reach the doctor day and night (via text to your doctor's cellphone), same-day appointments are the norm, and you'll always see the doctor in person who will give you all the time you need. Medicare and insurance coverage remains the same, and one of us will pay a flat $2,500 per year for concierge privileges.
On the scale of things this looks like money well spent. What do you-all think?
In 2020 we'll be paying Medicare Part B premiums of 2 * $144.60 = $289.20/month ($3,470/year) [not counting IRMAA tax that we also have to pay this year].
And we'll be paying Medicare Advantage Supplement premiums (which include the cost of Part D coverage, again not counting IRMAA tax) of $103.01 (partially subsidized by a former employer) + $174.31 (for the spouse) = 277.32/month ($3,328/year).
Plus $1,200 for dental insurance for two.
Those add up to $8,000/year for two, plus IRMAA tax. Our out-of-pocket for medical care is essentially zero (until we add concierge benefits described below). Out-of-pocket for prescription drugs will cost about $1,500/year for two. Dental out-of-pocket will be around $2,500 based on past experience. So our total healthcare budget for 2020 is $12,000 plus IRMAA taxes plus the concierge.
The medical climate in our state has changed radically in the last few years. Five hospitals in our area are affiliated into a single operation, now the third-largest employer in the state, and the same operator has rolled up 1,000 or so individual physicians into its multi specialty group clinic. Our primary physician was one of those rolled up, and he lasted a year before retiring. Our next primary physician, a different practice but again one of the 1,000, just announced that he's retiring too. After some looking, we found a third physician who is not currently among the 1,000 and who is open to new patients.
The new physician offers an optional concierge service, and we interviewed the doctor about one of us signing on to it. Basically, if you're not in the concierge program, you're likely to wait longer for an appointment and more often than not you'll be seeing a physician's assistant. With the concierge program you can reach the doctor day and night (via text to your doctor's cellphone), same-day appointments are the norm, and you'll always see the doctor in person who will give you all the time you need. Medicare and insurance coverage remains the same, and one of us will pay a flat $2,500 per year for concierge privileges.
On the scale of things this looks like money well spent. What do you-all think?